A Highlander's Vengeance

[DanFS]

Douglas was stunned into silence.

This beautiful maiden seemed completely different from her warmonger Father.
If anything this realisation strengthened his feelings for her. After a few moments of thought he spoke.

"Lady Anna, I would give everything to see this war over and all of us return to normal lives, with families and villages to keep."

He paused, seemingly to think again, then continued:
"Please do not think me a brute if I invite you to sleep in my tent tonight. I feel you would be safer there, as some of my men have lost everything, and although I have ordered them to leave you unharmed I would sleep better knowing you were close by, and I were able to defend you."

He then looked surprised (realising the unintended invitation to share his bed) and hastily said:
"Of course I shall prepare a separate bed for you. I just wish all this (he waved his hand all around him) did not concern us. All I wish to be happy and left alone to live a full, simple life, guided by God. Is that so bad?"

Just then, Linton rode back and asked Douglas:
"The men are tired and want to wait for the rest of the army to catch up. What do you wish to do?"
Douglas replied.
"Send a rider to order them to march North separately to us. We need speed to put distance between us and the Anglish. We have that, as a smaller group. Also tell the men to stop near the edge of that forest ahead, as we camp there tonight."

After Camp had been struck, (Lady Anna had been left with Linton, who Douglas trusted with her more than any other man as he was married) and Douglas had issued orders to the men, he returned to hsi tent and dismissed Linton.

They were both sat upon a heap of ferns, piled onto the forest floor. At least it wasn't raining, and it keep the cold from their bones.

A small fire had been lit outside his tent and a pot simmered upon it, with some sort of stew and dumplings inside.

As he scooped some onto a plate and held it out to her with a wooden spoon, he smiled apologetically and said:
"I'm sure this isn't quite what you're used to, but it's all I can offer. After dinner, I would sit and pray....would you join me?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“Lady Anna, I would give everything to see this war over and all of us return to normal lives, with families and villages to keep.”

Anna’s eyes held his and saw nothing but sincerity there. She was shocked that this man who her father had spoken so scathingly of appeared in many ways the more reasonable.

”I too .. “

She murmured, their shared desire ironic given the circumstances and the fact that she was in reality his captive.

“Please do not think me a brute if I invite you to sleep in my tent tonight.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she allowed him to continue.

”I feel you would be safer there, as some of my men have lost everything, and although I have ordered them to leave you unharmed I would sleep better knowing you were close by, and I were able to defend you.”

Though Anna saw the sense of his proposition, she flushed at the idea of being in such close proximity with a man who was still after all a sworn enemy of her father.

“Of course I shall prepare a separate bed for you. I just wish all this did not concern us. “

She looked around as he gestured, taking note of the men around them. Whatever her concerns, she knew she would be safest within the protection of Douglas McAllen.

”I accept your invitation, Sir ... “

She responded softly.

”... I know I can entrust you with my safety ... thank you ... “

Despite the circumstances, she smiled gratefully, yet was unable to quite suppress the blush creeping upon her cheeks.

”All I wish to be happy and left alone to live a full, simple life, guided by God. Is that so bad?”

His reference to God surprised her, but she had no chance to reply before another man referred to as Linton approached. Initially uncertain of this man, Anna kept her eyes averted and continued to ride as instructions were issued for making camp that night, yet she discovered shortly afterwards that he was the most trusted amongst the men as it was he to whom her security was entrusted whilst McAllen left to see to his men leaving Anna seated upon a pile of ferns within the light canvas tent. The man was silent and Anna did not initiate conversation, in fact she remained still not wanting to draw attention to herself or antagonise the man who stood between her and the man she could hear milling around outside.

”Mi’lady..?”

She looked up at the voice and found him stood beside her holding out a wooden cup of water.

”... thank you ... “

The smile was automatic as she took the cup, her expression turning nervous as she saw the Scotsman’s set face. She drank gratefully as he turned away once more. Thankful that the man had been civil to her and that as instructed he had not left her side.

Even so Anna was relieved when Douglas returned and allowed Linton to return to the men. She accepted his invitation to sit outside; another pile of ferns set there for that purpose.
She watched the flames dancing on the small fire and looked around not seeing any of the Scots nearby. She concluded that they were camped a short distance away, most likely to ensure her safety she concluded and was again grateful for his thoughtfulness and trust in her, for if she were of a mind to harm him, Anna was sure that she would be able to acquire his weapon and run him through. Though once done, Anna did not rate her chances of escape very highly. And to be captured by the band of Scots having injured or killed their leader was a fate she did not even want to contemplate. She shuddered visibly and held her hand out to the flames.
Not that she could bring herself to kill. No matter what the circumstances she could not imagine having murder in her heart.

“I’m sure this isn’t quite what you’re used to, but it’s all I can offer “

She accepted the plate with soft smile.

”Thank you ... it looks delicious ... “

She commented softly and dipped the spoon tasting to confirm her assumption with a nod.

”After dinner, I would sit and pray....would you join me?”

His reference to prayer and the invitation for her to join him again surprised her.
She had long since dismissed her assumptions that Scots were heathens, yet even so, this man was increasingly a revelation to her.

”It has long been my habit to pray morning and evening ... “

She responded thinking of her beloved Church in York and the Chapel within the protection of the Castle.

”I’d welcome a chance to pray more than anything ... “

She told him as she ate beside him. Though she was uncertain as the meat or the other ingredients in the stew it was warming and filling and most welcome after the long ride...

 

[DanFS]

Douglas was grateful in a way that Lady Anna wanted to pray with him.

It's not that he was embarrassed by his faith, more that he felt she would look down on him, for some reason.

Douglas turned to Lady Anna and knelt upon a bed of fern inside the tent, and gestured for her to do the same.

Then he began:

"The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Most merciful God, we confess to you, before the whole company of heaven and one another, that we have sinned in thought, word and deed and in what we have failed to do. Forgive us our sins, heal us by your Spirit and raise us to new life in Christ.
Amen.

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Alleluia."

Douglas paused then cursed - "God Damn It...I can't remember the next part!"

Maybe it was having the Lady Anna knelt next to him, but he felt nervous in her prescence, even if he was becoming increasingly attracted to her.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

The meal completed, the two retreated into the relative security and privacy of the tent. The fern beds were set out to afford some comfort and protection from the ground, yet before Anna could even begin to consider what the actual sleeping arrangements might be, she saw Douglas kneel upon the cushion of fern and gesture in invitation for her to join him.

The situation was far from expected. Even though her father was a good man, he never joined her in prayer, stating that his faith was in his sword and his men and that the ‘Good Lord’ had done little in his favour in the past and so owed Him no devotion ...

With a grimace at that unbidden memory, Anna moved forward, sinking to kneel beside her captor, her eyes closing as she tried to capture some form of peace and communion with her maker in this most bizarre of situations.

“The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.... “

Anna’s eyes shot open at the murmured words. The man beside her was using exactly the same prayers as she recited before moving onto any specific intercessions!
Closing her eyes once more, she listened to the softly spoken words, the lilt of his accent as mesmerising as the familiarity of the prayer.

”Most merciful God, we confess to you, before the whole company of heaven and one another, that we have sinned in thought, word and deed and in what we have failed to do.
Forgive us our sins, heal us by your Spirit and raise us to new life in Christ.”

Anna silently whispered the Amen with the man at her side.

”O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever.”

Again Anna murmured the ‘Amen, Alleluia.’ response, drawn into the recitation now.
Douglas’s curse took her by surprise!
She opened her eyes, but rather than see anger, she read frustration, perhaps even embarrassment.
It was quite something to openly show one’s faith before one who was effectively an enemy.
If he had not raised the issue of prayer, Anna knew she would have prayed silently, but not have insisted on her usual ritual, which in many ways made him more devoted than she.

His eyes open now, met hers. The half-completed ritual suspended between them.
Anna gave a smile of reassurance and began to recite;

”Save us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep may rest in peace...”

Her eyes remained locked with Douglas as she recited softly; the words strangely ironic given their situation. Then closing her eyes she added her own petition.

”Lord grant us peace in our lives;
Peace to cope with our worries, our fears and our losses.
Still our souls, guide us to search out your will.
Teach us to live alongside our neighbours, to pursue the path of peace and banish hate between peoples. Amen.”

For moments she stayed silent, considering her prayer. For some reason the English and Scots were arch enemies, yet to Anna’s mind, hate and killing served little purpose; an opinion she dared not voice to her father, for she knew how it would anger him.

” In peace we will lie down and sleep;
All for you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.
Abide with us, Lord Jesus,
All for the night is at hand and the day is now past. As the night watch looks for the morning,
All so do we look for you, O Christ.”

She glanced across at Douglas before continuing sincerely.

”The Lord bless us and watch over us; the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace. Amen. “

Slowly she opened her eyes finding Douglas’ gaze locked with hers.
Though they be Scot and English, there was something about sharing prayer that seemed to bind them somehow ...

 

[DanFS]

Douglas regarded Lady Anna with new-found respect.
No longer was she just the daughter of his sworn enemy, but a lady of faith, and seemingly more pious than he.
"Thank Ye, Lady Anna. It seems my memory has betrayed me this night, in the eyes of the Lord no less, when I try to recite his Litany. You have given me new hope in this dark night, by your praying beside me."

He smiled and took her small, delicate hand in his larger, rough, scarred one.

"'Tis such a shame we are from opposite worlds, you and I. We share the same faith, and yet I feel in my heart that I wouldst take you for my Wife, but my head says this cannot be, as we are too different. Besides your Father would see me dead and dismembered before he would even entertain that thought!"

He looked heaven-ward and said "Lord - I try to do right by you and for you, and if there is any way that you can see that this woman who kneels beside me and before you; will understand that I wish this conflict between our two countries to end. Nothing would please me more than to be able to return to my homeland, in peace, with peace as my prize, for all men." After a moments pause, when he looked at her, he added "And women too."

He thought for a moment then continued "From our previous talks, well, I talk and you listen; you know my desire for a Wife and children to live with me & grow old with me, upon a small farmstead beside a Highland Loch is my life's dream. I have had to learn to fight, to survive, to defend what is dear to me. I can learn to farm, to love again, if you will show me how Lord. This I ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, whom you loved so much that you sent him to live among us and to die upon the Cross, to cleanse us of our sins.
Amen."

As he finished his simple, heartfelt prayer, he raised Anna's hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. Then, as if embarrassed he dropped her hand and looked away.

He hoped she hadn't seen him wipe away a solitary tear, with the back of his hand, as he had laid his most intimate wish open for her to see. he had never felt so vulnerable, yet at the same time, so at peace.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“Thank Ye, Lady Anna. It seems my memory has betrayed me this night, in the eyes of the Lord no less, when I try to recite his Litany. You have given me new hope in this dark night, by your praying beside me.”

It was as if the war, their peoples’ conflicts were another world, all she saw was a piously devoted man who took her hand with all the gallantry of those she had met in the English court and yet to her the action was so much more sincere.

“’Tis such a shame we are from opposite worlds, you and I. We share the same faith, and yet I feel in my heart that I wouldst take you for my Wife, but my head says this cannot be, as we are too different.”

His words shocked her, but rather than the jolt of revulsion she had been taught to hold for a sworn enemy, a barbarian, Anna’s cheeks flushed at the thought of such a marriage.

”Besides your Father would see me dead and dismembered before he would even entertain that thought!”

He was right of course, yet Anna knew that having been taken and having spent the night in this man’s tent, her reputation would be ruined for sure and any prospects her father had for her making a fortuitous marriage must surely be dashed ...

She watched as he continued to pray:

“Lord - I try to do right by you and for you, and if there is any way that you can see that this woman who kneels beside me and before you; will understand that I wish this conflict between our two countries to end. Nothing would please me more than to be able to return to my homeland, in peace, with peace as my prize, for all men.... And women too.”

Instinctively she believed him. From the first real conversation Douglas had shown himself to be a man of honour, yet one dedicated to his people. His prayers showed that far from being a war-monger, his greatest wish was for peace.

“From our previous talks, well, I talk and you listen; you know my desire for a Wife and children to live with me & grow old with me, upon a small farmstead beside a Highland Loch is my life’s dream.”

She smiled, recognising her own outpouring of wishes and fears in the way he prayed.

” I have had to learn to fight, to survive, to defend what is dear to me. I can learn to farm, to love again, if you will show me how Lord. This I ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, whom you loved so much that you sent him to live among us and to die upon the Cross, to cleanse us of our sins.
Amen.”

Anna echoed his Amen, rising with him and smiling as he kissed her hand, then dropped it as if suddenly uncertain.

”My father would never give permission for a union between us ... “

She started tentatively.

”Yet ... I fear the ambitions he held for me ... for himself ... will never happen given the ... circumstances ... “

She blushed hotly as her gaze darted around the room, not wanting to insult the man who kept her beside him only to ensure her safety.

”...as for my own ambitions ... “

She continued, her eyes downcast, yet feeling she owed him as much honesty as he had shown to her in prayer.

”... I would wish to ... choose a husband ... to find a man I can respect and trust to take care of me ... and who in turn ... I could offer the same ... “

Her cheeks were flaming now, but she raised her head to face Douglas.

”I have no great desire to marry one of my Father’s choosing ... “

She told him softly.

”In fact ... I have been .... fearful ... of what fate might befall me in marriage ... so ... any loss of reputation will cause me no hardship ... “

She smiled softly then.

” ... The Lord reads what is in our hearts. He sees those who live according to His laws.
Those hold much more importance than the will of English or Scots.
Each of us is hated by the other’s people. My father ... your men ... they could never accept or understand ... “

She faltered and did not complete the sentence.

”If live could revolve around a remote farmstead, we should be happy indeed ... “

She concluded softly ...

 

[DanFS]

Douglas' eyes widened in surprise, at Lady Anna's comment about life revolving around life on a farmstead.

Then he digested her previous remark about the current circumstances.
His questions came thick and fast.

"Milady - I have not laid a hand on Ye - and neither have my men, have they?"

"And - what harm have we done to your father's ambitions for you. Your honour is intact!?"

"And...what did ye mean - ye said 'We', when ye mentioned living on a farmstead. Do ye wish to travel back to my home, with me of your own free will, to take me as yer Husband. Is that what ye meant?"

Douglas' heart soared, with new-found hope.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Milady - I have not laid a hand on Ye - and neither have my men, have they?"

Anna shook her head.

"No, of course not ... "

She responded finding herself confident that he would ensure that this remained the case.

"And - what harm have we done to your father's ambitions for you.
Your honour is intact!?"

She blushed.

"It is ... but the type of man my father wishes to secure his ties with would have little faith in my word or your gentlemanly conduct."

She shook her head almost embarrassed.

"They would no more accept the truth of what has passed between us than my own father ... "

It pained her to admit it, but she was seeing her father increasingly as the aggressor and could not imagine how much Douglas must hate him as the murderer of his own father.

"And...what did ye mean - ye said 'We', when ye mentioned living on a farmstead. Do ye wish to travel back to my home, with me of your own free will, to take me as yer Husband. Is that what ye meant?"

She blushed at his words and hesitated before responding.

"Words uttered in prayer are not a proposal ... "

She murmured. It was not her place to accept an offer not yet made, like him, she had been talking 'idealisitically'.

"I meant that ... if you and I lived in a world, or a place where such hatred were not a factor then there would be little difference between us .... and no barriers ... to our ... wishes ... "

In fact she had felt more nervous and wary of those she had met at court than she did now with him. .

" ... and ... a simple life with the right man would suit me as well as a rich life at court ... "

She clarified.

 

[DanFS]

Douglas now wrestled with his conscience.
This woman had been abducted from her home by him.

She might be saying these things to placate him, to control his anger toward her, as the daughter of his enemy.

However, as Douglas turned this thought over and over in is head, he couldn't help but wonder, what if?.....
And she was a woman of faith; She had spoken of her wishes too after they prayed. That meant she was of a similar mind to him. Douglas was sure she wasn't trying to trick him.

"Milady - if you would return home with me, I will forswear this war and seek a secluded glen by a Loch, to make my home with you. If your Father should come and find me and slay me, then at least I will have had the chance to love again!"

He looked for some reassurance from Anna, and her faint blush remained upon her beautiful face.

Was she the one for him?

He reached down and took her hand again and drew her to him.

Her feminine scent was as heady as the first full day of spring heather on the montainside near his home. It reached deep inside him and spoke to his heart of peace and love.
He bent his head down to hers, and lightly kissed her cheek.

Before this night he would never have dared dream of this, but even though they were of such different backgrounds, she felt so right in his arms, and she shared his faith, unlike so many of the village women. He couldn't blame them, as for as long as some could remember, the English had ravaged their country and their bodies whenever they came North.

He wrapped his arms around Anna's shoulders and kissed her again, quite gently on the neck. Her softness and warmth against him on this night only increased his desire for her.
He could not force himself upon her, but were she to respond willingly; He would know that whatever objections his countrymen raised, he would overcome them.
He hoped that soon, he would take her home, for his bride!
Would the Lord, in his merciful might grant him, a sinner, his wish?

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“Milady - if you would return home with me, I will forswear this war and seek a secluded glen by a Loch, to make my home with you.”

The offer he had implied was laid out before her.

”If your Father should come and find me and slay me, then at least I will have had the chance to love again!”

She blushed. He spoke of love, rather than a pact between people. In fact a union between them would bring them no financial gain, yet perhaps it would bring her all she had ever secretly hoped for?

She smiled shyly as Douglas took her hand and drew her closer. Even now she did not doubt his motives. If he had wanted to accost her he could have without the elaborate pretence; besides he had declared himself before God and she felt that this was as sacred to him as to her.

Stood closer to him than she had ever stood beside any man, Anna smiled as he kissed her cheek, an intimate, yet tender act that reassured her. When his arms wrapped around her shoulders, she leaned into them rather than resisting his hold. The kiss upon her neck surprised her, yet less so than her reaction to that light caress. A soft gasp escaped her lips at the sensation and subsequent racing of her pulses. Her response intrigued her, as did his talk of love. She looked at the intimidating Scots man before her, but rather than enemy and warrior, she saw the man beneath.

”Your men ... they hate me ... my father slew yours ... even if my father were to meet with the same fate, they could never accept me ... “

She reached out shyly; a tentative touch upon his chest as if not quite believing that he held her with such gentleness.

” ... have you really considered Douglas the reaction of your own people to me, or indeed yourself...?
I would not tempt you to destroy yourself to make amends for my abduction, which was an act of war ... “

She did not think his proposal was to make amends for the compromising position she found herself in, but had to make sure.

”... though ... if you still believe that, despite all the obstacles that our union would further your personal happiness .... then ... “

She could hardly believe what she was about to say. It wasn’t just because her options as she saw them were more limited, but rather that she too was drawn to the image he painted of a peaceful, simple life and she realised actually attracted to him ...

” ... then ... I would accept your offer of marriage ... “

She told him breathlessly.

 

[DanFS]

Douglas thought about all she had just said and then addressed each of her concerns, in turn:
"Aye, many of my men DO hate you. But they will do as I tell them to. They follow me and know my retribution is swift and unswerving. They shall not harm you, in my prescence and when I am not around, Linton will protect you, as his life is sworn to mine, by an ancient oath."
After a pause he continued.
"My clan would not approve of our union, but I would renounce my heritage and we could leave clan lands, to live as outcasts, but we would find our own place on land that is mine."

He looked Anna square in the eye as he asked:
"For all of this would you take me for your Husband, before God? You would leave behind all you have, all you could have?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“Aye, many of my men DO hate you. But they will do as I tell them to. They follow me and know my retribution is swift and unswerving. They shall not harm you, in my prescence and when I am not around, Linton will protect you, as his life is sworn to mine, by an ancient oath.”

She nodded. She felt that the man Linton did not approve of her any more than the other men, but his loyalty to Douglas was obviously without question.

“My clan would not approve of our union, but I would renounce my heritage and we could leave clan lands, to live as outcasts, but we would find our own place on land that is mine.”

He was serious in his intent and rather than taking her home as an English prize, she realised that he too would be giving up as much as she. The idea of being outcasts did not appeal, but to live beyond the war and hatred in their present world, definitely did appeal.

“For all of this would you take me for your Husband, before God?

He was offering her a sacred union, more binding than a business transaction, deeper than for mere human gratification.

”You would leave behind all you have, all you could have?”

She considered his words. Entering into a marriage with not just a Scotsman, but her father’s sworn enemy would lose her everything; material comfort she could do without and whilst she regretted the break with her father, for all she knew he might be dead by now, or if not he had told her of his intentions to dispose of her in marriage as soon as the uprising was quashed.

She knew her answer.

”I would. I would take you for Husband, before God ... “

 

[DanFS]

Douglas smiled widely, as Anna accepted his proposal of marriage.

However, the closeness of the moment was shattered as a clamour was heard outside and some men shouting a challenge to someone outside the camp.

Douglas jumped to his feet, and reached under his armour to draw a slim dagger, with a single sapphire embedded in the handle.

"Should anyone other than Linton, or I, enter this tent, you use this on them, d'ye understand?"

To emphasise his question he placed the dagger in her small hand, closed her fingers over the handle and rested the point upon his breast right over the heart, then said:
"You thrust here, or here!"
As he moved the point of the blade to his throat, then removing it before saying to her:
"Even if you strike weakly with this, a man will choke to death on his own blood. Make sure it is he, rather than you that lies upon the cold ground. I shall return!"

He left her standing stunned in the middle of the tent, as he lifted the flap of the tent back and strode outside, as Linton called to him.
"Douglas riders approach from York."

As Douglas marched across the Camp, the sentries escorted two men, leading horses whose flanks were bright with sweat and had foam dripping form their open mouths, heading for his tent.

"Douglas, a few of us - we were caught behind at Wharram Percy, and saw Lord Faulkner and his retinue approaching. They were many, and we were few, but Morag Anderson, ye know she lost her Father the same night as you..."

Douglas replied tersely, as they carried on walking toward his tent, the sentries ignorant of all that had taken place between Anna & Douglas in the privacy of the canvas.

"Aye, we sat and cried together. I held her in my arms and swore I would exact revenge for her as well as I."

The men stood around looked surprised but Douglas motioned for the man to continue, as they stopped about Fifty feet from his tent.
"What of Morag?"

"Well, Douglas, she is a good shot with a bow, the wind was behind her. She loosed two arrows, from about two hundred yards away. The first missed, but the second, flew straight and true. It struck Faulkner in the chest, piercing his armour between the joins of the Breastplate and Vambrace he wore on his upper arms. His men scattered, and when we approached,he had lost a lot of blood. We thought of bringing him back for you, but he was almost dead,when we found him."

Douglas nodded and with his forefinger and thumb resting on his chin asked "Were any words spoken? Did he say anything?"

The scout nodded.
"I didnae understand every word, as he was coughing blood at the end, but he clearly said 'It is over between us, McAllan & I.' Then he grabbed the collar of my tunic and pulled me to him, before saying in a hoarse whisper 'Get word to York. tell my Anna I will always love her. I wish I had been a better Father. I realise now I had spent too much of my energy serving my King's interests and not my own.' Then he died right in front of me, his last breath floating away upon the breeze."

Douglas nodded before replying.
"Thank You my friends." He turned to Linton and ordered:
"See they are fed and rested. We return Home upon the morrow."

As the crowd dispersed he could hear much cheering and singing within the camp, as he walked back to his tent.
He wondered as he walked. 'Had Anna heard all that? What was he going to do?'

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

For short moments they stood, eyes locked, a wide smile on Douglas’ face bringing a blush to Anna’s. The commotion outside made their heads turn as one.
Something had happened; something significant!

“Should anyone other than Linton, or I enter this tent, you use this on them, d’ye understand?”

He held a valuable and lethal looking dagger in his hand. She looked at him dumbfounded until he actually put it into her hand and closed her fingers over it making her take the weapon.

“You thrust here, or here!”

He guided her head to his breast and then his throat. Anna’s eyes widened in horror, but she nodded.

“Even if you strike weakly with this, a man will choke to death on his own blood.
Make sure it is he, rather than you that lies upon the cold ground. I shall return!”


“Douglas riders approach from York.”

Anna’s first reaction was to rush to the now closed tent flap after Douglas and to beg for news, but she knew that she could not run that risk. The news was to be bad for either Scots or English and either would bring her danger and distress. Mindful of still more raised voices outside, Ann retreated to the far end of the tent, the dagger firmly in her hand, yet held down by her side now.

For what seemed like ages, she stood there, aware of a conversation taking place outside, but the voices were indistinct, a murmured tone of apparent dialogue between Douglas and several others? All remained so until a cheer struck up, the camp becoming alive with sounds of victory celebration.

She drew the dagger as the tent flap raised, only to drop it to the side again as she saw Douglas entering the tent.

”York has fallen?”

She questioned stepping forward.

”But your men ... why have they cause to celebrate...?”

She prompted fearing the worse.

Douglas....I have agreed to wed you, but ... I need to know what has befallen my own people?”

 

[DanFS]

Although Douglas took her hand and sat down beside her on the fern beds they had made earlier, he could not look her in the eye.

It felt very strange that he had yearned so long for this news, yet now he had been told, his heart was heavy, as he was sure what it would do to the woman sat beside him, who over the course of this day, he had grown to love, rather than just lust after.

"Milady - Anna...My men bring news. They cheer not because York has fallen, as it has not. Your Father...he was leading his men toward Wharram Percy and was shot by one of my archers. He died just outside Wharram Percy, abandoned by his men, who fled to safety."

He then looked up, into her face, not knowing what he would see.

He continued:
"Before he died, my men report he said two things clearly: 'Get word to York. tell my Anna I will always love her. I wish I had been a better Father. I realise now I had spent too much of my energy serving my King's interests and not my own.'"

Douglas reached out and took one of her small hands in his, carefully retrieving the small dagger from the other numb hand, which he gave her earlier; and secreting it back inside his armour.

"I am truly sorry Anna. Although my men see this conflict as over, this news fills me with nothing but sorrow. This is a hollow victory, which just shows the tragedy of war."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Douglas’ demeanour made Anna all the more anxious. The pause as they sat side by side seemed to last an age.

“Milady - Anna...My men bring news. They cheer not because York has fallen, as it has not.”

Anna nodded, momentarily relieved for those she had spent her days with.

”Your Father...he was leading his men toward Wharram Percy and was shot by one of my archers. He died just outside Wharram Percy, abandoned by his men, who fled to safety.”

It was what she had feared, almost expected, yet somehow the news came as a shock.
Her father had been fearless, proud. Yet at the end the men he had bullied into command had left him to die. She bit her lip and remained silent, as she let the reality of those words sink in.

“Before he died, my men report he said two things clearly:”

She turned towards him then, all attention praying that her father had died wisely and not incited further hatred to follow.

‘Get word to York. tell my Anna I will always love her. “

The words were so unexpected that it was this that brought tears to her eyes.

”I wish I had been a better Father. I realise now I had spent too much of my energy serving my King’s interests and not my own.’”

She fought for control as Douglas took one of her hands, not even noticing when he took back the dagger that still lay unheeded in her right hand.

“I am truly sorry Anna.”

She nodded, unable to speak in response as silent tears flowed.

” Although my men see this conflict as over, this news fills me with nothing but sorrow.
This is a hollow victory, which just shows the tragedy of war.”

He knew what he was speaking of. Her father had killed Douglas’ father and now himself was no more.

”At least ... at least he never knew that I had been taken from York ... “

She murmured brokenly. Her father’s words clearly showed that he expected her still to be awaiting his return in safety.

”I begged him not to go ... I knew ... somehow ... I felt ... “

She shook her head and wept silently, wishing that she had somehow insisted that her father had remained safely at York and yet even as the thought entered her head, Anna knew that in truth her father would not have listened to anyone, no matter what the argument.

Beyond the tent, cheering and singing could be heard throughout the camp.
She knew their own armies must have celebrated victories in much the same manner.
Though grief stricken, she could raise no hatred for the people around her.
Taking a steadying breath, she finally raised her eyes to Douglas.

”Now, as you say. This conflict is over. Vengeance taken; a life for a life ...
Pray God, this brings us peace, for a time at least ... “

She sighed heavily.

”Go celebrate with your men, Douglas. They will expect it ... “

She told him softly.

 

[DanFS]

"I am so sorry Anna. I wish I could do something to ease your pain. I remember all too clearly, how I felt when my father was taken from me."

He gently raised her hand to his and kissed it, then drew her to him and just held her as she cried against his shoulder.

After a short pause, he spoke again.

"You are right of course, my men will expect me to celebate with them. Know this though - I shall take no pleasure in tonight. It shall be an act which they shall expect. Nothing more."

He paused before continuing.

"When I return, we shall lay side by side, and nothing more. Tonight I wish to lay beside you and just hold you. One orphan to another."

He kissed her again, on the lips before rising and taking his leave of her.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Despite her words, Douglas made no move to leave her.

“I am so sorry Anna. I wish I could do something to ease your pain.
I remember all too clearly, how I felt when my father was taken from me.”

She nodded realising that even this united them in some way. The light kiss on her hand reassured her and the solidity of his body as he drew her to him comforted her as she cried not only for her father, but for others lost.

“You are right of course, my men will expect me to celebrate with them. “

He said finally as she drew back in an attempt to regain some composure.

”Know this though - I shall take no pleasure in tonight. It shall be an act which they shall expect. Nothing more.”

She nodded in understanding, but knew the importance that his men did not see his change of attitude.

“When I return, we shall lay side by side, and nothing more.
Tonight I wish to lay beside you and just hold you. One orphan to another.”

The kiss on her lips sealed his promise. She trusted him completely she realised as she watched him slip out of the tent: Trusted him to keep her safe from his men, trusted him to do nothing but hold her that night and by having accepted his proposal of marriage had entrusted her future into Douglas’ hands, even before the news about her father.

Outside the noises of the men grew louder. Songs and shouts filling the air. Anna settled back onto the fern bedding and wrapped her arms about her, feeling chilled and lonely as her mind drifted back over her childhood, her father’s remoteness, his resentment that she had not been his much-longed-for son and then drifting forward to more recent times, their time at court when he had been so proud of her, so approving. It was only then that Anna had felt that he had forgiven her the death of her mother. Though her father had spoken of the woman she had never known in disparaging tones, somehow she knew he had loved her and that his hostility was the only way that he could cope with the loss and alienating the young Anna the only way he could cope with the daily reminder.

Tears ran silent and unchecked as memories crowded her mind. She reached down to finger the cross around her neck; one of the few items she had been given that belonged to her mother, given to her by her father when she turned 18. The most treasued gift she had ever received. Uncaring of the creasing of her gown, Anna curled up on the fern cushioning and fingers lightly holding that cross, closed her eyes and began to murmur soft prayers for the soul of her father and for her mother and Douglas’s father who had gone before.

Words of prayer on her lips, she drifted into a sleep of grief-stricken exhaustion ...

 

[DanFS]

Douglas returned to the tent in the early hours, having drunk & sung with his men.
However, as he lifted the flap and walked inside and saw the delicate, vulnerable form of Anna, laying upon her bed of ferns, his heart sank.

He had enjoyed the company of his men, and joined in their merriment, but not the reason for the celebrations. Bawdy singing could still be heard throughout the camp - in fact, Douglas was amazed Anna could sleep through it!

As he unbuckled his armour and stacked it neatly by his bed, then disrobed and lay down beside Anna, he pulled a fur over them to keep the chill at bay.

He suddenly felt very awkward, as he had not lain with any woman since Lynette, a young farmer's girl from the Village who had pursued him during the Highland Fayre, several years ago; and as the copious amounts of drink he had consumed gradually eroded his caution, he had bedded her.

She had been his first - and he hers. They were both shocked at the blood she shed when he pierced her maidenhead, and then when they started to rut, for that was what they did - there was no love involved - it was alcohol fuelled lust.
As they lay together in the dark, afterward with the sticky fluid seeping between them, Douglas had asked how old she was, and was horrified to find that she was but a child, just fifteen years old. He had been twenty-one then, and when they had parted company in the morning, he had spent a lengthy time in the Chapel, praying for penance, as he had enjoyed their coupling.

Now, as he lay next to Anna, he was determined not to take advantage of her, particularly as he had been drinking.
He settled on a compromise, and laid an arm gently over her body, a gesture to protect and reassure her.
Then the drink claimed him. He fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of their future, amidst rolling hills and steeper mountains in the Highlands, with him guiding two oxen tethered to a plough, as he tended a field, with the sunlight playing across his smiling face.
Then the scene changed; now he saw Anna lying upon a bed, bathed in sweat, her legs apart and an expression of pain upon her face.
Claire, Linton's Wife, was helping to deliver the baby, and it was she who ushered Douglas and Linton from the room.
As they both paced back and forth outside the Cottage, they heard a piercing scream then crying, then the women inside crying out 'Praise be to God - a baby boy!'
As the men embraced outside, the women embraced inside, and when all four met there were kisses, those that only the best of friends exchange.

Then the scene changed again. He was back in the field, with the oxen & plough. He looked up and saw Anna, with a small boy & girl, their children, waving from outside a cottage built on the hillside, and he waved back, they started to run down the hill towards him.
As they came nearer, he became aware of a dark shadow moving across the land. As it approached, he realised it was not from a cloud, it was an army! Then another form coalesced above the shadow and moved at speed towards Anna & the children. To his horror, Douglas saw in his dream a huge volley of arrows, and watched as they fell among his wife and children.
He saw his own mouth cry out their names, and no sounds came forth.
He ran toward them paying no heed to the arrows whistling all about him. Then he awoke with a start...

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Anna slept deeply and dreamlessly. Blissfully unaware of the celebrations occurring outside the tent, nor of Douglas’s late arrival in the tent. She did not stir as he lay beside her and pulled a fur across them both. She did not react when he moved his arm across her and merely remained in her exhausted state of unconsciousness.

That was until he cried out and jolted awake beside her.

For long moments Anna blinked, disorientated in the darkness of the tent, but once awake, it took mere seconds for reality to come crashing in on her. She had been taken, her father was dead and Douglas....

”Douglas...?”

Her voice was soft with fright as she began to sit up, belatedly becoming aware of the arm that was still thrown over her. But it was relief, rather than fear at his proximity that was her first reaction. She lay back down again, easing further beneath the furs as the chill of the air came to her as a shock and she turned to face the man beside her, trying to search out his features in the dark.

”.. Douglas...?”

The whispered query in the darkness held concern. Beside her his body felt tense and his breathing seemed rapid.

”What is it? Are there men outside...?”

She queried anxiously drawing instinctively closer to him...

 

[DanFS]

As Douglas awoke, and the fog of sleep left him, he was aware that Anna was awake beside him.

"Oh Thank God - it was just a bad dream!" Douglas responded to Anna's query.
He listened for a moment and then reassured her. "Only my men guard us. We are as safe as we can be out here."

Douglas then recounted the positive parts of his dream to her, and just mentioning a dark cloud, and then said "I hope this proves to you, that I hold my future with you more dear than anything else."

"If you will have me, I know a priest who can marry us soon after we return to the Highlands. Glen Allen is lovely this time of year, and I would love to take you to the top of the Tor and sit with you to watch the sun set."

He kissed her again, with some passion this time, and then leant back and said:
"Now rest Anna, we will break Camp in the morning and ride North. It is unlikely we shall be pursued, since.....I'm sorry - my mind is still clouded with sleep."

Douglas cursed himself for his insensitivity.

He laid back and closed his eyes, wishing her to do the same, as his embarrassment coloured his cheeks.

He hoped he could start afresh with her in the morning...

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“Oh Thank God - it was just a bad dream!
Only my men guard us. We are as safe as we can be out here.”

Anna let out a sigh of relief, finding his presence reassuring, though a day ago laying so intimately would have put her to blush. Yet this man was to be her husband and it was good she felt that she felt secure when at his side.

He did not move the arm away from its position across her body, neither did she move away from him as they lay in the dark stillness and she listened to his account of the dream he had had.
His words describing her giving birth, to their having children filled her with hope that as he father had believed, she would not die in childbirth or prove a barren wife to her husband.

“I hope this proves to you, that I hold my future with you more dear than anything else.”

She murmured an affirmative, but could not help but wonder just what had made the dream turn bad and awoken him so suddenly, but she did not dare question him.

“If you will have me, I know a priest who can marry us soon after we return to the Highlands. Glen Allen is lovely this time of year, and I would love to take you to the top of the Tor and sit with you to watch the sun set.”

She murmures sleepily.

”It sounds idyllic... “

The kiss took her by surprise, as did the jolt of her pulses and the warmth that seemed to fill her at the unfamiliar embrace ...

“Now rest Anna, we will break Camp in the morning and ride North. It is unlikely we shall be pursued, since.....I’m sorry - my mind is still clouded with sleep.”

She understood that his words had run away with him.

”As my father is now dead, perhaps both our people can live in peace ... for a time at least ..”

She murmured closing her eyes with a sigh.

"We can make our plans in the morning ... "

She said softly.
There were things she wished to say to him before he made that ultimate decision to take her back to Scotland with him ...

 

[DanFS]

As both Anna & Douglas awoke, to the sound of men moving around Camp, and the smell of food being cooked, it was clear morning had arrived.

Douglas still had his arm across her, and rolled her to face him, and kissed her on the cheek.
"Good morning, Anna. I hope you were not troubled in yer sleep?"

As he lay there, rolling their discussions around in his head, he suddenly realised that she had said "We can make our plans in the morning ... "
He hadn't considered that she would have demands that would need to be met, and yet he wanted to include her in the rest of his life. Now was as good a time as any to start.

"Anna was there something you wanted to say to me, before we leave camp today?"

A voice outside, brought Douglas out of his bed quickly. He did not wish to be accused of any impropriety.

"Douglas - it's Linton. The men want to move out. Shall ye catch them up? I'll stay to escort ye, Aye?"

Douglas replied: "Aye just you, Niall and Angus can remain. The others can move off. We'll ride late to meet them later."

Douglas frantically dressed, suddenly embarrassed at being almost completely undressed in front of Anna.

"Sorry Anna." He spoke sheepishly. "Was there something?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

As both Anna & Douglas awoke, to the sound of men moving around Camp, and the smell of food being cooked, it was clear morning had arrived.

They seemed to wake as one the next morning; the sounds and scents of the camp rousing them from their slumber. Anna did not resist as Douglas eased her round to face him and kissed her cheek.

“Good morning, Anna. I hope you were not troubled in yer sleep?”

She smiled and shook her head.

”I slept well...”

She told him shyly, all too aware of their intimacy now that the daylight had come.

“Anna was there something you wanted to say to me, before we leave camp today?”

She nodded and opened her mouth to broach the delicate subject, but remained silence as a voice broke into their solitude.

“Douglas - it’s Linton. The men want to move out. Shall ye catch them up? I’ll stay to escort ye, Aye?”

Anna averted her eyes and Douglas pulled on his clothes and called out in reply.

“Aye just you, Niall and Angus can remain. The others can move off. We’ll ride late to meet them later.”

Despite their revelries, the men it seemed were ready and eager to return to their homeland.

“Sorry Anna. ... was there something?”

She nodded, but somehow the matter would have been easier to discuss when they were side-by-side. Now she was uncertain and embarrassed ...

”I ... wanted to ... tell you of something ... which ... may make you rethink your proposal ... “

She started haltingly.

He seemed more intrigued than concerned, but even so Anna found the words difficult to express.

”I .. had not thought before.. but your dream last night ... “

She sighed heavily and gestured to the fern bedding needing him to be seated beside her as she explained.

”My mother ... she died giving birth to me ... “

She told him haltingly.

”For years my father couldn’t even be in the same room as me. I wasn’t the son he wanted and ... in many ways he blamed me for her death ... “

The pain in her voice was evident, but she continued.

”... I was their one and only child. My father had had visions of many sons, but they were not blessed with the family they wished for ... “

She forced herself to look up at him then.

”My father believed my mother weak, that she had let him down in some way ... though she did all she could to be the wife he wanted. He always said I was stronger than her, took after him ... “

She laughed at the irony of her father’s words.

”... even so ... “

She held his gaze as she voiced her fears.

”I know .. nothing of ... laying with a man .. of ... motherhood ...
What if ... if like my mother I cannot give you the family you want?”

She broke off then and tried to gague how he had taken this information.

”I would not wish you to take me as your wife without knowing what might, or might not be ... “

She blushed hotly.

”I would wish to be a good wife to you, Douglas ... “

She whispered...

 

[DanFS]

Douglas listened to Anna's speech with tears in his eyes, and drew her close as she finished it.

"Ach Anna. Dinnae worry. That was then - this is now. You are a good woman. I can understand your fears, and together we will confront them. God will show us the way."

He then stood with her and said:
"I will love you no less, if you bear me a daughter than a son, or even no children at all. It is you I love. I would happily grow old beside you & only you. We shall learn & grow together."

He paused for breath, then:
"If we are blessed enough to enjoy the sound of a child's laughter at the hearth, then so much the better. If not, then the Lord has other plans for us. He shall reveal our purpose in time - have faith!"

He smiled at her then, a boyish smile, full of mischief.

"Come, ride with me - the rest of our lives awaits us!"